Jew : A Photographic Project

by John Offenbach

A$100 · Offered by Douglas Stewart Fine Books

Milan : Skira Editore S.p.A, 2020. Quarto, illustrated boards, pp. 176, illustrated. John Offenbach’s wonderful collection of portraits, boldly and bluntly entitled Jew, could not be more timely. In a period when antisemitism and racism are rife, when ignorance and prejudice prevail, here is a captivating tale of the unexpected. A portrait of Jewish people which defies cliché and stereotype. From Brooklyn to Azerbaijan, from the homeless to the homeland, all human life is here. – Alan Yentob – BBC Some years ago John Offenbach decided to embark on a series of portraits of Jews from different ethnicities, such as those from India and China and Ethiopia. Not just the great and the good, it had to include the homeless Jew, as well as the rich Jew. The incarcerated Jew, and the heroin addict. Offenbach took inspiration from People of the Twentieth Century, the series of portraits of German people of the 1920’s by the Cologne-based photographer August Sander, but unlike Sander, he decided not to include the background or the setting for any of portraits, as he didn’t want this collection to be documentary in style or intention; so, a weaver in Ethiopia is sitting in exactly the same light as a financier from Wall Street. Half way around the world to each other but surprisingly close. Offenbach travelled to thirteen countries, including Argentina, Azerbaijan, India, Ethiopia, China and Ukraine and took are approximately 150 black-and-white portraits of jews. The objective of the se

• Binding: Hardcover

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